As the 2026 irrigation season approaches, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) is sharing key information for irrigators. The district says five important factors will shape how the season begins and what irrigators can expect as the season progresses: Poor snowpack means light runoff Snowpack in the Rio Grande Basin remains below average; the […]
+News
Memorial services set for BCSO sergeant killed during traffic stop to be held in Rio Rancho
A Bernalillo County sheriff’s sergeant who was killed when a tractor-trailer struck his patrol vehicle during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 will be honored with public memorial services this weekend and Monday, with his funeral falling on what would have been his 53rd birthday. Sgt. Michael Schlattman, a 13-year veteran of the Bernalillo County […]
Lawsuit alleges Bernalillo teacher abused student, district ignored prior warnings
A lawsuit filed in New Mexico’s Thirteenth Judicial District Court alleges a 5th-grade teacher at Bernalillo Elementary School subjected a 10-year-old student to months of physical abuse and racist verbal attacks while school officials ignored a history of prior complaints against her. The complaint, filed under the New Mexico Civil Rights Act and the Tort […]
Albuquerque paid $8 million in lawsuits while Council oversight went dark for a year
By Jesse Jones — For nearly 12 months, the City of Albuquerque’s legal department failed to deliver required reports detailing how much the city paid in lawsuitsย to the City Council. Editor’s note: In researching this story, a Council spokesperson told City Desk that the last report received by the council was “in Q1 2025.” After […]
Supreme Court removes New Mexico judge from the bench
The New Mexico Supreme Court ordered a McKinley County magistrate judge off the bench this week, ending a months-long saga between the judge and the state’s Judicial Standards Commission which had sought his removal for abuses of authority in office. The commissionโs recommendation for removal stems from what it described as a “pattern and practice” […]
Will Rio Rancho voters show up? Turnout is down from 2022 ahead of March 3 Election Day
As the last weekend of early voting approaches, turnout for the Rio Rancho municipal election is currently lagging behind the 2022 pace, even as the city has added thousands of new registered voters over the past four years. As of Feb. 25, just 4,093 voters have cast their ballots for the March 3, election, representing […]
Bregman polling: Epstein stories lowered Haaland support in Dem. gov primary
Columnists in NM Political ReportPat Davis is the founder and publisher of NM Political Report, City Desk ABQ and the nm.news network. He is a recovering politician having served eight years as an Albuquerque City Councilor and, in another life, served as a police officer and nonprofit organizer. Last week, I wrote about new polling […]
Can ranked choice voting save Albuquerque a fortune? Supporters will try again for next city election
The Albuquerque City Council uses ranked choice voting (RCV) for its own internal seats. Now, Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers and Stephanie Telles have introduced Ordinance O-26-13 to extend that same system to citywide elections by November 2027. Under RCV, voters rank candidates by preference. If no one secures a majority, the lowest vote-getter is […]
โAbysmalโ water forecast shadows Corrales river projects
The 2026 irrigation forecast for the Sandoval County area is โabysmal,โ Jason Casuga told village councilors in Corrales on Feb. 24. Casuga, CEO and chief engineer for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MGRCD), said the dearth of available water could be historic. โIf last year was one of the worst hydrologic spring runoffs on […]
$3.1 million federal boost for Sandoval County: Stansbury delivers on key community projects
The Town of Bernalillo and Sandoval County are set to receive a combined $3.1 million in federal funding for projects ranging from a new behavioral health clinic to a wastewater treatment upgrade, Rep. Melanie Stansbury announced. Stansbury, D-N.M., secured $1,092,000 to rehabilitate Bernalillo’s aging wastewater treatment plant, a project developed in partnership with Sens. Martin […]


